After spending several years working as software engineer, Ledru left Paris and moved to Montreal, searching for a larger purpose in life. Ten years later, he’s an established woodworker and living his dream of making a difference by restoring old furniture often destined for the dump.

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“It’s giving it a second life to the point that you don’t even notice that it was once considered trash,” he said. “That’s for me the idea of upcycling.”

“I thought that’s where the fun was,” he said, until he discovered his calling for upcycling.

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Ledru insists nothing beats the challenge of having to respect old materials while trying to understand how and why they were made a certain way at a certain point in time.

“I love solving problems and I love learning new techniques,” he said.

“The sentimental value is more important sometimes than the actual value of the piece of furniture.”

Ledru typically finds furniture that’s abandoned on the street and in some cases customers bring him broken pieces that were handed down from generations.

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Julie Cardinal-Laberge is one of his many returning customers. Half of the furniture in her home is reused or refurbished, including a teak dresser she found on garbage day. Ledru worked his magic and the piece now proudly stands in her front entrance.